Tag: The Art of Peace

Happy Tuesday TV fans! After watching AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead season 4 episode 3, Al’s words really resonated with me when she explained that “the truth isn’t about words. It’s about what really happened and what happened now.” Well a lot has certainly happened now, including the death of a main character, proving that Fear the Walking Dead is not afraid to rip the Clark family even further apart. Please note major spoilers are ahead if you have not gotten a chance to watch the latest episode yet. In Sunday’s episode, “Good Out Here,” Morgan attempts to teach Nick the way of “The Art of Peace,” but Nick’s desire for vengeance gets in the way. Meanwhile, Al strikes up a deal with Victor, Luciana, and Alicia, and Charlie’s innocence has shattered. My top 5 moments from Fear the Walking Dead season 4 episode 3 are:

5

“Because the truth matters.”

In the beginning of the episode, Al agrees to take Nick and the others to where she saw the flag, but she wants their stories in return. She tries to remind everyone that “we’re all breathing here. Means we’re on the same team.” She explains the importance of capturing the stories of others even if it is only read out loud once, explaining that our stories are all we have left in this world filled with emptiness and death. While the others may not agree with Al, focusing more on survival, Al’s desire to keep the story alive and relevant explains how she has lasted so long. The truth is important and each story matters, keeping humanity alive and present, which is something that can be easily forgotten when you are living one day at a time. Either way, it is refreshing to see Al’s perspective. While some survivors cling to family and other connections, Al is clearly alone and the stories she has collected are all she has left, but it’s enough to keep her going.

4

“A deal requires an act of faith.”

After some initial hesitation from Victor, they are out of options when the tank gets stuck and they agree to help tow it out so they can continue on. Everyone is clearly letting their guard down to trust a stranger they know nothing about, but they would remain at a standstill if unable to come to some kind of agreement. Walkers are around the tank and time is of the essence. Alicia courageously lures the walkers away and gets to the tank without a scratch while Al covers her with her gun, proving that both of these women can handle any threat that comes their way. While the trust has not been completely earned yet, it looks like they realize that perhaps they are on the same side after all.

3

“Wherever I go I try to look for something good.”

Throughout the episode, Nick flashes back to a time where he went out with his mother, Madison for supplies. The lighting changes in these moments to something brighter and more serene, almost implying a peace or existence beyond the present. Nick reveals that he feels more trapped outside “like who I’ll be is just closing in on me…just suffocating me.” When Nick opens up like this, one can’t help but feel sympathetic toward him. After all, he has gone through more than most and carries the burden and the guilt around with him constantly. Madison tells him that she tries to look for something good, like a sign of people helping each other. Her words are encouraging and sincere, trying desperately to remind Nick that there is still good in the world; you just have to be willing to look for it.

2

“The Art of Peace.”

When the others go off to find a tow for the tank, Nick is left alone with Morgan and the two end up forming an unlikely friendship. Nick watches Morgan’s story on Al’s camera and starts to realize that he is not the only one feeling alone and guilty. Morgan has conflicting feelings about helping Nick and initially walks away from him. He tells him “whoever you hurt that’s your business,” but has second thoughts when he turns around to ultimately help Nick and try to save him. Nick lets his bottled up anger and craving for revenge get the best of him when he violently kills Charlie’s adoptive father who belongs to the Vultures. When Morgan returns and sees Nick covered in blood, he offers him the “Art of Peace” book and tries to help him. This is a gesture of good faith, which is important because Morgan has been shying away from connecting with others. Morgan tries to explain to Nick that he has gone through similar losses and knows what he is dealing with and the two men have an unspoken bond that they ultimately both really needed.

1

Bluebonnets.

During the flashbacks to Nick’s outing with Madison, they come across a field of Bluebonnet flowers and his mother tells him that it is a sign of goodness in the world. This comes full circle when Nick discovers these very same flowers in the present, even holding on to one when he goes to sit outside to contemplate what he has just done. Charlie shoots Nick out of revenge and he is stunned by what has just occurred. As his life begins to pour out of him, Alicia, Victor, and Luciana rush over to him in a heartbreaking moment, while Morgan and the others watch solemnly from afar. Nick still clings to the flower, desperately trying to hold on to something good. After he is gone, we flash to Nick laying in a field of these flowers, the light pouring over him, suggesting that he is finally at peace. While there will clearly be mixed feelings about Nick’s death, there is something so real and significant about it. Nick didn’t die when he was out surrounded by walkers or on the bridge. There are a number of violent and messy ways that Nick could have died, but his life is ended anticlimactically by a child who desperately wanted the same revenge that Nick did. Nick, like Charlie, felt alone and trapped by circumstance and their acts of violence remind us that this is not the way to survive. Al’s words in the beginning of the episode about truth are that much more important in this moment. While we know that Fear the Walking Dead is not afraid to kill off main characters, as we said goodbye to Travis in the beginning of season 3 and watched the shocking end of Troy by Madison’s hand at the end of the season, we have to wonder where we go from here without Nick.

I hope you enjoyed the list and feel free to post your own theories and thoughts on Fear the Walking Dead in the comments section below. Happy viewing!